DrumMantra LIVE Online Workshop: A Hands-On Training Experience That Will Transform Your Drumming

📅 Sunday, March 2 | 2.5 Hours of Hands-On, Transformational Training
🎯 Limited to 20 Drummers | Hosted on Zoom

Are You Ready to Revolutionize Your Drumming?

Most drummers spend years practicing the wrong way—repeating bad habits, reinforcing sloppy time, and guessing their way through practice sessions. They hit plateaus, get frustrated, and ultimately don’t reach their full potential.

That ends NOW.

On Sunday, March 2, I’m hosting an exclusive LIVE online workshop that will change the way you approach drumming forever.

This isn’t a lecture. This isn’t a masterclass you watch passively. This is a hands-on, real-time training session where YOU will be actively practicing, developing, and improving right alongside me.

You’ll be joining drummers from all over the world for an immersive, structured practice experience using the Six Key Elements of the DrumMantra Practice System—a method ...

Rich Stitzel to present at the 2025 Chicago Drum Show

Rich Stitzel is a professional drummer, educator, and author known for his innovative DrumMantra Practice System.  This method cross-trains time, reading, coordination, polymetric awareness, phrasing, and groove to help drummers develop a deeper understanding of drumming. As the founder of the Drumset Mastery Program, Rich has guided drummers worldwide in unlocking new levels of precision, creativity, and control.

At the Chicago Drum Show 2025, Rich will deliver an interactive clinic that challenges drummers to rethink their approach to practice. Blending performance and instruction, he will demonstrate how to go deeper with their practice through focused, intentional, and structured methods. Attendees will experience hands-on participation, gain insights into refining their technique, and walk away with a new perspective on practice.

Rich has performed nationwide in all types of venues—from clubs to theaters to arenas. As a...

A Powerful Approach to Teaching: Real-Time Practice with Your Students

As drumset teachers, we all want our students to succeed—not just in mastering an exercise but in understanding the true art of practice. Too often, lessons follow this cycle:

1. Assign exercises.

2. Send the student home to practice.

3. Check their progress next week.

While this approach has its merits, what if we took it a step further? What if, instead of simply assigning practice, we actually demonstrated what it should feel like in real time? Imagine giving your students the full experience of what’s required each day while they’re practicing on their own.

Teaching in Real Time: The Philosophy

Practicing effectively isn’t just about hitting notes or checking boxes. It’s about building focus, developing consistency, and internalizing the how and why of each exercise. As teachers, we have the opportunity to set the tone for this during lessons by practicing alongside our students in real time.

This...

If you’ve ever wondered whether the Drumset Mastery Program is the right fit for you, let me make it crystal clear:

Your Own Pace, Your Own Track

The Philosophy of Taking Action

Every great drummer, every musician you admire, and every legend who inspires you didn’t arrive at their mastery by accident. They weren’t born with it. They worked for it.

But here’s the thing: most people only pay attention to the journey's end. They marvel at the accomplishments, the records, the performances. Or they get excited at the starting line—the potential, the possibilities, the dreams.

Very few people focus on what really matters: the grind in between.

It’s like watching a marathon. The crowds gather at the beginning to cheer the runners on. They line up at the finish line to celebrate the victory. But how many people think about the hundreds of miles those runners trained, the early mornings, the late nights, and the sacrifices they made to get to the starting line?

You can’t just stand on the sidelines if you're serious about your drumming. You have to commit to the work, lifestyle, and grind that gets you to your goals.

Stop Putti...

If you’re here, it means drumming isn’t just something you do—it’s part of who you are. Whether you’re striving for better gigs, more confidence, or a deeper connection to your craft, you’re looking for something transformational.

You may have heard me talk about DrumMantra or the Drumset Mastery Program before, but today, I want to go deeper. I want to show you what these are, why they’re unique, and how they can completely revolutionize your drumming journey.

What Is DrumMantra?

DrumMantra is not just a practice method; it’s a philosophy—a way of thinking about and approaching drumming that integrates technique, creativity, and mindfulness.

It’s built around six key elements that are at the heart of drumming mastery:

1. Time – Developing precise, unshakable timing and rhythmic accuracy.
2. Reading – Learning to interpret and execute complex rhythms with confidence.
3. Coordination – Building independence across all four limbs for ultimate freedom behind the kit.
4. Polymeters – Maste
...

“If you’re seeking serious practice, Rich Stitzel’s DrumMantra courses and books are for you. You’ll gain the focus and concentration needed for any gig and other life areas.  You’ll also gain a greater command of reading, technique, coordination, relaxation, and breathing. Rich’s method is a literal drum meditation practice that teaches you the journey's importance, not just the destination. I’ve practiced his method and can’t recommend it enough.”

-Mark Walker
Author, World Jazz Drumming

Arturo Sandoval, Boston Pops, Berklee College of Music
8x Grammy Winner

Align your mind and body in this experiential drumming journey with exercises that will challenge, inform, and inspire how you think and play.

I am thrilled to present the most recent DrumMantra Lesson of the Month exercise series & Community Challenge!

Each week, the Lesson Vault Community members have the opportunity to practice together online with me three times. Saturdays at 1pm (CST) we work on "The Lesson of the Month," Sundays at 1pm we work on Groove Studies with the 20th Note book, and Mondays at 1pm we work on The Foundational Series book the first half of the year, and The Primary Series book the second half.

In the Lesson of the Month for January, we worked on a 12-part exercise series I created called "Oceans: A Groove Study in 7." As you can see in the video, the groove is an ostinato between kick & snare, and every 6 bars, the ride pattern changes. It is a challenging exercise series, and it takes some work to get it happening. 

A handful of the Lesson Vault Community (LVC) stepped up to the challenge and were able to video themselves playing all 12 exercises in a row! This was not an easy feat, and I a...

SO MUCH NEWS coming down the pike this week!

First of all, I want to say that The DrumMantra Lesson Vault members have been working SO HARD this year. To date, we are coming up on the 45th week of the year, which means we have had 180 hour-long practice sessions together! We went completely through the Foundational Series Book, are on the final chapter of the Primary Series Book, and have been working on Section I of the new book for the past 2 months. 

If you want to get your practice game together and take your playing to the next level, I highly recommend checking out the Lesson Vault Membership. Its no joke and I am there with you live on zoom 4 hours a week! 

(My private lessons/consultations are $100/hr, but you can get me on a live zoom call working through the material together up to 16 hours a month for only $29!)

If you would like full access to all of the practice sessions, over 100 hours of lessons in the vault, access to the community, AND early access to the first c...

Happy Monday to you!

We had a fantastic weekend of practice sessions! I can't believe we're already starting week five of 2022! 

We have several practice sessions this week for you to attend, and some big news happening at the end of February!

This week at DrumMantra:

***Practice sessions in February are "pay what you want"***

Monday, January 31:

6pm CST - Lesson of the Month (ADVANCED CLASS) register here

Monday, January 31:

7:30pm CST - Private Lesson/Consultation register here

Tuesday, February 1: 

6pm CST - Primary Series Practice (ADVANCED CLASS) register here

Wednesday, February 2: 

6pm CST - Private Lesson Slot register here

Thursday, February 3:

7:30pm CST - Mark Walker & Rich Stitzel PASIC2022 Presentation on YouTube! click here to watch

Friday, February 4

11:30am CST - Blair Sinta's Recording Experts Course register here (Get 20% off when you join the DrumMantra Lesson Vault by February 1) - and get 20% off the Lesson Vault with code: DM2...